Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025
72 people were sentenced in the District of New Hampshire for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 71 of them received a prison term, and the median prison term was 60 months, or 5 years. The median for this offense type in all 94 districts was 90 m
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2 › Child Pornography: District of New Hampshire
In brief: 72 people were sentenced in the District of New Hampshire for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 71 of them received a prison term, and the median prison term was 60 months, or 5 years. The median for this offense type in all 94 districts was 90 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 72 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Most Sentences Were Below the Guideline Range
Only 18% of sentences (13 people) were within the guideline range. 60% (43) were below the range at the government's request, 21% (15) were below the range without a government request, and 1% (1) was above it.
For this offense type in all districts, 32% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the figure was 31%. In this district, images of child exploitation cases were sentenced within the range less often than cases overall.
Prison Terms
71 of the 72 people (99%) received a prison term, and 1 (1%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 90 months or more, and a quarter received 34 months or less.
Across all 94 districts, the Commission counts 13,674 people in this offense type, and 99% were sent to prison. The district's median prison term of 60 months was lower than the 90 months for all districts. It was higher than the 30 months for all offenses in the district.
Mandatory Minimums and Supervised Release
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 24 of the 72 people (33%). A mandatory minimum is a sentence floor set by statute, and a judge must impose at least that term unless a legal exception applies.
70 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months, and 3 people (4%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 3 people (4%), and restitution for 44 (61%).
Pleas and Trials
70 of 72 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. 97% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 3% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. After a trial it was 79.5 months, but that figure is based on only 2 people and cannot support a comparison.
The Offense Type and Its Guideline
The U.S. Sentencing Commission sorts cases into offense types. Child pornography is the Commission's term for this category. All 72 cases had §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor) as the primary guideline.
These cases were 4% of the 1,754 people sentenced in the district. 83% were in criminal history category I and 1% in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 31 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 41. The fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30. Single years have from 2 to 12 people. The median prison term in the table ranges from 27.5 months in 2024 to 150 months in 2019, based on 2 people that year. Counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 12 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 9 | 36 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2018 | 8 | 55.5 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2019 | 2 | 150 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 2 | 65 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 11 | 81 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 5 | 78 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 9 | 78 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2024 | 6 | 27.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2025 | 8 | 103.5 months | 8 of 8 |
Limits of the Records
The data counts only people convicted and sentenced. It does not include acquittals or dismissals, and it reports terms imposed, not time served. It does not describe the facts of any case or the number of images involved, and it cannot show why a sentence was set where it was.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Hampshire (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Hampshire") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (72). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.